Re: Rain Music (correcting typo)

: : Hi folks,
: : Here is a piece of reading material for you to help me with. As New Year is around the corner and the task is a bit too huge, you may well not hurry in working them out.
: : I'll sincerely appreciate any help you come up with!

: : Here are the difficult sentences I'm confused with:
: : 1.She is the red rose of the family and I am the green thorn.
: : (Why she say so?
: : How would you describe the relationship between the two sisters?)

: : 2.There is something about it, a wistful, dandelion, orchidlike kind of beauty that feels like notes in a chord being played separately, finger by finger, harmonizing back and forth.
: : (What kind of "beauty" it is when it is connected with dandelion and orchid?)

: : 4....his breath whistles through the evenness of his teeth as the cover grazes the dark honey of his skin.
: : (What does the "cover" refer to here?
: : And could you explain "dark honey"? What about honey-color skin?)

: : 5...I want to spend quality time with you, my darling sister. Get up, you piece of mutton.
: : (Quality time?
: : and what does "you piece of mutton" mean?)

: : 7."He's so perfect for me, just perfect. It's like he stepped out of my story and came to life. We speak the same language and share the same past. Everything. "
: : (How to explain "It's like he stepped out of my story and came to life."?
: : Does Linh really love Thanh? )

: : 7."...And Mom and Dad, they've done so much for us. Now they think they've won the lottery from God for being good all their life."
: : (What was Mom and Dad's attitude towards Linh's marriage according to this sentence? Who the chose should be Linh's husband?)

: : 8.What is Rain music? What is significant about the use of rain in the title, as well as at the end of the story?

: : MAny thanks!

: : BTW, now another year is coming near, and I'd say to all your kind folks here that, I've really learned a awful lot in English language on this forum since I struck this gold mine! Thank you for your help! I wish I'd continue to have the pleasure of enjoying your generous help here next year!

: : May your New Year begin with joy!

: 1. She is the red rose of the family and I am the green thorn. (Why she say so? How would you describe the relationship between the two sisters?)

: She is saying that her sister is their parents' favorite - their perfect daughter. They expect great things from her sister. Her sister is the rose and she is just a thorn. (ESC)

: 2.There is something about it, a wistful, dandelion, orchidlike kind of beauty that feels like notes in a chord being played separately, finger by finger, harmonizing back and forth.
: (What kind of "beauty" it is when it is connected with dandelion and orchid?)

: When she pulled her sister's hair, the hair felt like cool satin. (ESC)

: 4....his breath whistles through the evenness of his teeth as the cover grazes the dark honey of his skin. (What does the "cover" refer to here?
: And could you explain "dark honey"? What about honey-color skin?)

: 5...I want to spend quality time with you, my darling sister. Get up, you piece of mutton.
: (Quality time? and what does "you piece of mutton" mean?)

: Quality time - a relatively short period of time (quality not quantity) when she is going to focus her attention on being with her sister and enjoying her company. Piece of mutton - maybe meaning her sister is older, mutton and not a young lamb? She is teasing her sister. (ESC)

: As near as I can tell, Linh planned to marry another man but she continued to see David. She was enjoying David's company, etc., even though she knows they have no future. (ESC)

: 7."He's so perfect for me, just perfect. It's like he stepped out of my story and came to life. We speak the same language and share the same past. Everything. " (How to explain "It's like he stepped out of my story and came to life."?
: Does Linh really love Thanh? )

: She says Thanh "stepped out of my story" and at first I thought maybe she means he was her Prince, straight out of a fairytale or a young girl's daydream of romance. But after reading this passage and the conflict between her feelings for David and Thanh, I think it means that if someone were to look at her life (her story) that Thanh would be exactly the kind of husband she should have - same race, same culture, etc. Thanh fits the pattern of her life. Does she love Thanh? Maybe. But she has these romantic feelings for the outsider - David. (ESC)

: 7."...And Mom and Dad, they've done so much for us. Now they think they've won the lottery from God for being good all their life."
: (What was Mom and Dad's attitude towards Linh's marriage according to this sentence? Who the chose should be Linh's husband?)

: I would think her parents would expect her to marry Thanh - a man from the same culture, etc., who would be a good father. Thanh is someone dependable and safe. (ESC)

: 8. What is Rain music? What is significant about the use of rain in the title, as well as at the end of the story?

: I don't know. I'm not too good on symbolism. David played music that he called rain music. Maybe it relates to the fact that rain on the roof can be soothing if you're safe inside a house. But rain also can mean danger, it's storming, etc. (ESC)